The Secret Is Out
by nothingtolose18
Summary: Someone knows Miley's secret, and he is after her money. How far will he go to get her money? How many people is he willing to harm?
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: I do not own the show Hannah Montana or any of the characters, except for the uber creepy mean dude.**

_I was walking along the road, minding my own business. I never knew a thing before a dirty hand reached out from a dark alley and dragged me in. I tried to scream but the hand clamped over my mouth. _

_He kept one hand over my mouth and with the other, he hauled out a knife. Pressing the blade against my neck, he leaned in and whispered in my ear._

_"Give me your money, little girlie." He released his hand from my mouth, knowing that I wouldn't dare scream with the knife pressed against my throat._

_I shivered. "I don't have any money," I stuttered. It wasn't a lie. I really didn't have any on me._

_"Well, that's hard to believe ... Hannah Montana," snarled the man._

_I gasped a little, but I tried to hide my shock at him knowing my secret. "I don't know what you're talking about," I whimpered._

_"Don't play innocent with me," he snapped, pressing the knife slightly harder against my neck. I swallowed hard. That blade was dangerously close now. "I know all about you. I know who you are, and your daddy, and your brother, and your best friends. I will get your money, and if I have to hurt them all in the process, well ... so be it."_

_Daddy? Jackson? Lilly and Oliver? No. He couldn't hurt them. I wouldn't let him._

_"I'll never let you hurt them!" I cried, before I realized that maybe I shouldn't speak to him like that when he was holding a knife to me._

_He was about to reply when suddenly, I heard sirens. The man's head snapped up. He released his hold on me, and took off down the road. I couldn't see him anymore within a matter of seconds._

_The realization of what had almost happened to me suddenly struck me, and I sank to the ground, sobbing uncontrollably. And that was where the police officers found me a few minutes later._

**A/N: What do you think so far? Good, bad, mediocre? lol. Please review, thanks:)**


	2. Chapter One

"Miley!" my dad called, up the stairs. "Lilly and Oliver are here for you, honey! Come on down and see them!"

I stepped out of the bed and walked down the hallway. Then I cautiously crept down the stairs. I peeked out and made sure that it was actually Lilly and Oliver. Hey, you never can be too sure ...

When I saw it was them, I ran out to them.

"Hi, you guys," I said softly.

Lilly raced over and hugged me. "Miley, I am so glad that you're okay!" she exclaimed. She held me away at arm's length. "You _are _okay, right?" she asked, as she let me go.

"Yes, I'm okay," I mumbled into Oliver's shirt as he hugged me next.

It had been five days since I was attacked. I was too afraid to leave the house. I had barely slept in all that time - all I could see when I closed my eyes was the glint of the knife in the twilight.

I had never been like this before in my life. Suddenly, I was afraid of everything. And all because of that stupid man.

My father looked at me sympathetically. "Miles has had it bad these past few days, you guys. Don't worry if she seems on edge. She's been like that since the other night." My father's voice was quiet, but I could detect the rage just behind it. He wanted to make that man pay for scaring me.

"And they still haven't found the guy?" questioned Oliver, breaking me out of my thoughts.

My father sighed. "No, they haven't. I wish they would find him, though. He should go to jail before he scares someone else - or does something worse. And I think it would make Miley feel a lot better."

"Yes, it would," I said quietly. I shivered. I pictured him placing the knife against my throat and whispering, 'if I have to hurt them all in the process, well ... so be it ... so be it ... so be it.' I hadn't told my family or friends about that part.

Lilly draped her arm around my shoulders. "Don't worry, Miley. You're safe with us." She smiled, and added, "I have an idea that might cheer you up. Want to go to the mall?" 

I hesitated. I wasn't sure. I glanced at the expectant faces of my two best friends, and I couldn't say no. "Ah, sure. Why not?"

Jackson came out of the living room. "What was that? You want to go to the mall? I'll take you guys."

I stared at him. "Who are you, and what have you done with the real Jackson?"

He smirked. "Very funny, Miles. I'm just glad to get you out of the house. You're really startin' to stink up the place!" he teased.

"Oh, shut up, Jackson," I cried, laughing.

The four of us headed to the car. I sat in the front passenger seat. Lilly and Oliver sat next to each other in the back. I noticed that they sat pretty close together. This made me smile. I had an inkling that Lilly and Oliver had a thing for each other.

Jackson started up the car and we began driving down the road. I was glancing back and forth in paranoia, looking at every person who was on the side of the road.

I noticed Jackson glancing at me. "Calm down, Miley."

"I can't help it! I'm afraid that he's going to find me," I fretted.

"We won't let him hurt you," spoke up Oliver from the back. "We'll take him down."

"If he so much as touches you once more, I'll kill him," spat Jackson in anger. He gripped the wheel tightly.

"And I'll help!" chimed in Lilly.

"You guys are the best," I said softly. I knew I was lucky to have people who cared about me so much in my life.

"I know I am," chuckled Jackson. "So, enough about about how cool I - oh crap."

"What is it? I asked in alarm. "What's the matter?"

It was only then that I noticed how fast we were going.

Jackson slammed his foot on the brake pad. "It's okay, it's okay, it's okay," he whispered over and over again. "It'll be okay, it will all be okay. Don't panic. It's okay."

The car did not slow down with the slamming of the brake pad.

"What's going on?" called Lilly from the backseat.

"The brakes won't work," said Jackson, hands clenching the wheel so tightly that his knuckles were white.

"What are we going to do?" demanded Oliver in a tight, frightened voice.

"We are going to go in ... here," said Jackson, turning onto a dirt road.

"What are you doing?" I cried in a voice squeaky from fear.

"Shhh," murmured Jackson, preoccupied. His eyes locked onto a space off the road, a field with long grass.

He steered the car onto the grass. "This should slow us down," he muttered under his breath.

The car slowed, but it kept going at an alarming rate. We were heading right for the trees.

"Jump out!" yelled Jackson. He reached over and opened my door. "Jump, Miley! Jump, you guys!"

I leapt for my life as the car headed for the trees.


	3. Chapter Two

I landed on the grass with a thump as the car smashed into the trees. I sat up dizzily, my head throbbing from where it had hit the ground. My elbow and right knee had a big bruise on each, from the impact.

"You guys?" I called out softly.

I hauled myself up and looked around for the others. I found Lilly and Oliver tangled in a heap on the ground. When I came over, they quickly moved away from each other. They both blushed and stood up. Lilly's face had obviously hit the ground from the way her cheek began to swell up, and Oliver was cradling his right arm.

"Are you guys alright?" I asked them.

Lilly nodded, and so did Oliver.

"Where's Jackson?" asked Oliver.

"I don't know," I said, panic beginning to take control. Where could he be? _Oh, please God, let him have gotten out of the car in time! _I prayed.

Cautiously, I advanced toward the car. I peeked in and was relieved to see that there was no one still inside. The car didn't look so great. The front of it was scrunched like a tin can.

"Jackson! Where are you?" the three of us began to call out.

Suddenly, Lilly ran over to a rock. "I think I heard something from behind this rock!" she called out. She peeked behind. "Here he is!" she called.

I rushed over. Jackson was lying on the ground. He was moaning in pain and clutching at his leg, which was twisted in a weird way.

He looked up at us, and gave us a pained smile. "Hi, guys. Um, lovely day, isn't it?"

I was glad to hear that he still had his sense of humor. Bending over, I grabbed one hand, and Oliver grabbed the other. He managed to stand on his good leg, and then use Lilly and I as a brace for him to hop.

"Dude, what happened?" questioned Oliver.

Jackson groaned. "The brakes were cut."

Lilly gasped. "Are you sure? Who would want to do that?"

My face drained of all colour. I knew who would want to do it. It _had_ to be him. That evil man who had tried to kill me!

"I ... I might know who it was," I said in a tiny voice.

"Who?" demanded Lilly.

"That ... that man ... " I trailed off. "You guys, he told me he will stop at nothing to get my money. Even ... even hurt you guys!"

"But this makes no sense," said Jackson. We were now sitting on some rocks at the edge of the clearing. "How would cutting our brakes help get your money, Miles?"

"I don't know," I said honestly. "Maybe he just wants to torture us, to get us worked up before he tries to get the money ... I don't know."

"Well, he did a good job," muttered Oliver.

"Guys, I'm sorry," I said. "This is all my fault."

"No, it's not!" cried Lilly. "It's the fault of that evil dude! It has nothing to do with you, Miley!"

"Okay ..." I said doubtfully. I still wasn't convinced. After all, if I wasn't really Hannah Montana, none of this would have happened.

"How are we going to get home?" questioned Lilly.

"I'll call Daddy," I said. I hauled out my cell phone, flipped it open, and called him and told him that we were going to the hospital. Then, after reassuring him several times that we weren't seriously hurt, and that Jackson had a sprained or broken leg, I called an ambulance. As I was finishing that call, I noticed an incoming text message. I read it and gasped.

"You guys, listen to this!" I cried, reading aloud the message that had appeared. "I see that you all survived the car crash. Too bad. Hopefully next time my efforts will succeed. Oh, and you're right - this is just the beginning. I'll be getting the money another time."

Jackson, Lilly, and Oliver turned as white as if they had seen a ghost.

"You guys," I said weakly, "we are in a lot of trouble."

**A/N: Not the best chapter I've ever written, I know. I'm not sure if anyone is actually reading this story - one person reviewed, thanks :) but I'm not sure if they're still reading. So if anyone is reading this story, please tell me what you think? Pretty please with a cherry on top:)**


	4. Chapter Three

The ambulance reached the clearing at about the same time as my daddy did. After making sure that Jackson was fine despite his leg, and that the rest of us were pretty much okay, my dad offered to drive Oliver and Lilly home. I opted to go in the ambulance with Jackson. I had to talk to him about the incident.

The paramedics busily gave Jackson some painkillers to ease the hurt in his leg. Then, they drifted to the front of the ambulance.

"Jackson," I whispered.

"What?" he asked in a whisper back.

"What are we going to do?" I questioned him.

"I don't know," he said. "Miles, this is scary. We could have been killed today. We're lucky that this is the worst that happened." He gestured to his leg.

"I'm sorry, Jackson," I said softly. "I wish I wasn't Hannah Montana. Not if it's going to hurt the ones I love."

"Don't you worry about it, Miley. It's not your fault. It's that stupid idiot who keeps threatening you. Ooh, what I would do to have my hands on him!" he grumbled.

I laid a hand on Jackson's arm. "Don't you go doing anything rash, now. Keep your cool."

"Oh, I will. But Miles, if I ever have the chance to make him pay, I will."

I shivered. "Jackson, you wouldn't kill -"

"Of course not!" He interrupted me. "I just meant that I would make sure he got justice for what he's done. I'm not crazy, Miles."

"I don't know," I teased him. "You seem pretty crazy to me."

We both laughed. It felt good to laugh.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

When we got to the hospital, Jackson was brought into the emergency room to have his leg x-rayed. I sat in the chairs, waiting. Soon my father got there, too, and he sat next to me.

"So, Miles," said my dad. "What happened, anyway? I tried to ask Lilly and Oliver, but they wouldn't say. They'd just mumble something and then look away."

"Oh ... uh ... there's just ... umm ... " I didn't know what to say. I knew that my father would flip if he found out, and call the police. But what if this made the guy angrier? What if he went to more .. drastic measures?

"Now you sound like them!" my father said impatiently. "Come on, Miley. You were supposed to be going to the mall. That is _not _the way to the mall. So why don't you 'fess up. What were you doing in that back road, and why did the car crash into the trees? Jackson is a good enough driver to know better than that."

"Daddy, I ..." I didn't know what to say, so finally I opted for the truth. I told him everything - the threat to my family and friends, the brakes cut, the text message - everything.

My father just stared at me with wide eyes. "My Lord, Miles! This is crazy! You know I'm going to have to call the police, honey. I can't let this keep going on."

"But, Daddy!" I protested.

"No buts, Miley. This is serious. I'm going to call the police right now and tell them what you just told me."

My father went off to find a pay phone. Then, a doctor came out and greeted me. "Hello there, are you here for Jackson Stewart?"

I stood. "Yes, I am. How is he? Can I see him?"

The doctor nodded. "You may see him for a short while. His x-rays confirmed that he does, indeed, have a broken leg, so we need to set it as soon as possible."

"Okay," I said, walking into Jackson's room. "Hi," I said. "How are you feeling?"

"Pretty good," he said. "I can't really feel the pain anymore, after the painkillers those guys fed me." He laughed. "Hey, where's Dad?"

"He's gone to call the police," I said meekly. "Jackson, he knows about everything. I'm sorry, but he got it all out of me."

"That's okay, Miley. They can handle it better than we can, anyway."

Just then, my dad entered the room. "Hey there, Bud. How are you holdin' up?" he asked Jackson.

"Pretty good," said Jackson. "So, what did the police say, Dad?"

"They said that they're on the watch for him, but that because they have no evidence that he was the one who cut the brakes, or that the brakes were even cut, then they won't be watching the house."

"But Daddy!" I cried. "It was him! I know it was!"

"Okay, darlin'," he said, holding up a hand. "I know you think it was. But it may not have been, you know. That text message might have been just a joke. And the brakes may have just worn out. Who knows?" It seemed like the police had convinced my father that we were all a bunch of overreacting teenagers.

I was about to protest when the doctor came in and ushered my father and I out, saying that now Jackson had to be put to sleep. He told us that he wouldn't be awake for another couple hours, so we were free to go home for a while.

My father agreed, and drove us home. The whole way I sat there in the front seat, wondering where the man was who was tormenting us, and what he would do next. His text message had said that it was just the beginning, and I had the sick feeling that he was telling the truth.


	5. Chapter Four

Supper that night was very tense. It was odd, without Jackson there. Daddy tried to start a conversation with me, but I couldn't respond. I was too busy watching outside to make sure that no one was creeping around.

"Miley!" Dad finally had my attention. "Honey, you don't need to be so nervous. Nothing is going to happen."

"Sure," I muttered, poking at my peas with my fork. I was not convinced.

Suddenly, my cell phone rang. I picked it up. "Hello?" I said into the phone, expecting it to be Lily or Oliver, asking about Jackson. My father stood up and began bringing his dirty dishes over to the sink.

"Meet me at the alley in which we first met, this Monday coming, at seven o'clock in the night," growled the voice. "Tell no one, bring no one, and nobody gets hurt. Bring me thirty grand." Then he was gone.

My face must have turned ashen, because as soon as my father turned to look at me, he knew something was wrong. "Who was that, Bud?" he questioned.

"No one," I said quickly. "Just a wrong number, or something."

I stood up and emptied my half-eaten plate of food into the garbage disposal.

"Are you sure?" asked my father, looking concerned.

"Positive, Dad," I said, forcing a smile.

I trudged upstairs to my room. I lay on my bed and stared at the ceiling. What was I going to do? It was Friday now. How the heck was I supposed to get thirty thousand dollars in three days? I knew that my father had that much in the bank, what with our combined careers. But still. I couldn't very well just ask him to give me that much. Ten dollars, yes. Thirty thousand? No way.

I decided that the best thing to do was just forget about it. It was only a cruel joke ... right? That was what it had to be, I decided.

Then I heard my father's voice calling me from downstairs. "Come on down, darlin'! We're going back to the hospital now! Why don't you call Lilly and Oliver, to see if they want to come with us?"

I called them. They both said that they would come, so we picked them up along the way.

Lilly and Oliver sat next to each other in the backseat again. I could have sworn that I saw them holding hands. I wished that they would just tell me, already. I mean, I thought it was the most adorable thing in the world! I had Jake, even if he _was _in Romania. If they thought that I would be jealous, they were wrong. And I knew that they would never make me feel uncomfortable around them; they were my two best friends.

When we reached Jackson's room, we entered to find him lying in bed. His cast was suspened from the ceiling by some kind of belt thing, that kept his leg elevated.

"Hi, guys!" he said cheerfully.

"Hi, son," said Dad. He smiled at Jackson. "Guess you're feeling better, huh?"

"Yep!" agreed Jackson. "I just woke up, and so far, I can't really feel anything. I mean, it hurts a little, but not too bad right now. Might be from those pills, though. Thank goodness for painkillers!"

We all laughed. Then Jackson, Dad, Lilly, and Oliver engaged in a conversation in which I tried to participate, but I didn't really have the heart. I was too worried about my scary phone call.

My father excused himself to get a cup of coffee from the cafeteria, and Lilly and Oliver decided to go with him, to get something to eat. I just sat there, clasping my hands together in my lap.

When everyone was gone, Jackson stared at me. "What's wrong, Miles? You've seemed upset ever since you got here, and I know it's not just because your darling brother is in the hospital. It's something else. What is it? Still worried about that maniac?"

I sighed. "Yeah, that's it."

Jackson frowned, and stroked his chin thoughtfully. "You are, but there's something else, as well. Did you see him again?"

I shook my head, letting my long brown hair fall in front of my face.

"Come on, Miley," demanded Jackson impatiently. "Tell me, okay? It can't hurt. It might even make you feel better."

"I can't," I whispered, staring down at my chipped red nail polish. "I can't because he'll hurt you worse."

"Miles, I -" Jackson was cut off as my father and friends came barrelling into the room, loaded down with food and drink.

My father handed me a chocolate chip muffin and a hot chocolate. "Here you go, darlin'. Thought you might like this."

"Thanks," I said softly. I sipped on the hot chocolate, and took a tiny bite of the muffin.

Everyone was too busy chatting to notice when I threw out my food, barely touched. At least, I thought no one saw. When I straightened up, Jackson's questioning eyes were staring straight into mine.

I averted his gaze and took my seat.

Finally, it was time to leave. My father said good night to Jackson, as did Lilly and Oliver.

"I want to talk to Miley alone for a minute," said Jackson.

"Okay," agreed my father. "We'll give you a little while."

Dad, Oliver, and Lilly exited the room.

"Okay, Miles. Spill. What is bugging you? I've never seen you turn down a chocolate chip muffin before!"

"Thanks," I said, sticking my tongue out at him.

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry. Truce," Jackson said, holding up a hand. "I just want to know what's bothering you, that's all."

"It's nothing, okay," I replied, turning to go. "Nothing you need to know. Good night, Jackson."

He sighed. "Good night," he muttered to my retreating back, sounding a little wounded.

I closed his door behind me and leaned against it, looking up at the clock. "I'm sorry," I whispered. But I just couldn't tell Jackson, or anyone else, anything. I just couldn't risk them getting hurt.

**A/N: Hi there, thanks for the reviews :) I'm sorry to anyone out there who cares about this story, I know I haven't updated lately. I've mostly been working on my other Hannah Montana fanfic, I'll Be There For You, and my Suite Life fanfic, One Fatal Mistake. This might be the last update for this one in a while. I'll try not to wait too long. But I'm moving out in a couple of days, and I'll be without internet for a week. Then, university will have started. Ugh. So I'm not sure. But I will try! Thanks again! Maybe I'll get another chapter in before I leave, I'm not sure.**


	6. Chapter Five

Several days had passed since I had received my warning phone call. It was now Wednesday, and I was feeling better. After all, Monday had came and gone with nothing happening. Nothing had happened since, either. I had convinced myself that it was all just a sick prank, and that there was some idiot out there who was laughing about freaking me out so much.

Jackson was soon coming out of the hospital - in fact, that very day, my father and I were going to pick him up and bring him home. He still had the cast, of course, but now he could come home and be on bedrest.

I was so excited to have him come home. Much as he annoyed me, he was still my brother and I would feel better having him in the house where I could keep my eye on him. I was still wary of that man who had held the knife to my throat, though the fear was fading.

As my father and I were getting ready to go and pick up Jackson, Lilly arrived. "Hi," she said, entering the house.

"Hi, Lil," I said, smiling at her. "We were just leaving to go pick up Jackson. Where's Oliver?"

"Oh, he's busy clothes shopping with his mom. He might be done by the time you're back from the hospital, though. Can I come?"

I chuckled. "Poor Ollie. Clothes shopping, hmm? Bet he's not too fond of that. Well, sure you can come with us! Then when we get home, we'll call Oliver and tell him to come over or something."

Lilly fairly lit up at this statement. "That'd be great! I mean, for the _three _of us to hang out," she said, emphasizing the word 'three.'

I smiled cunningly at her. "Lilly, I know about you two. You can tell me!"

Her mouth dropped open. "Oliver told you about us dating!? I _specifically _-"

Now it was my turn to be shocked. "Wait, you're _dating? _I didn't know _that! _All I knew was that you two liked each other! Lilly! How could you guys not tell _me! _I thought we were three best friends! I guess I was wrong."

"No, no!" Lilly cried, protesting. "Miley, you are one of the greatest friends I have. The best, in fact. I mean, you and Oliver. But I was afraid that you would feel kind of awkward around us if you knew, and I didn't want that. I mean, we both agreed that we most definitely consider you our best friend and we didn't want anything to change and that's why I never said anything and I'm sorry and please forgive me and -" Lilly continued babbling on and on.

"You done?" I asked when she finally stopped to take a breath. "Listen, don't worry about it, okay. I'll never feel uncomfortable around you guys. I think it's adorable that you're going out." I grinned at her and poked her playfully with my finger. She rolled her eyes, but she was smiling.

My father came downstairs then and said, "Ready, Bud?" Then he saw Lilly. "Oh, hi, Lilly. Are you coming with us?"

She nodded, and the three of us went out to the car.

The ride to the hospital passed in a flash of laughter and talking. I was finally feeling more like my old self than I had ever since the incident had occurred.

When we got to the hospital, we went to Jackson's room to see him up and sitting in a wheelchair, waiting to come home.

"Jackson!" I cried, running to give him a hug.

"Hey, Miles," he laughed, patting me on the back. "You just saw me yesterday, you know."

"I know," I said. "But you're coming home! I'm so glad you're coming home!"

Jackson seemed surprised, yet pleased, at these words. I knew that often Jackson and I fought like cats and dogs. Still, I loved him, and the house had seemed so empty without him there.

We got Jackson checked out and then the four of us headed out for the car. It was a bit of a struggle, but we managed to get Jackson situated in the front seat, with his wheelchair folded up in the trunk of the car.

I was so happy to have everyone back where they belonged. "We should call Oliver as soon as we get home, to check and see if he's home from shopping yet," I told Lilly.

"Definitely," she said.

When we reached the house, I realized that something was wrong. I stared at the house in disbelief. The door was open and gently swaying back and forth in the breeze. I could see where the lock had been smashed. My heart thudded downwards. Someone had broken into the house.

"You three stay here," commanded my father, standing and cautiously walking to the door.

"Daddy, wait!" I cried. "I'll come with you!"

"No, Miley. You stay right there." Then he tiptoed inside the house, and disappeared from my view.

Lilly patted my hand. "Don't worry, Miley. He'll be fine. There's nothing to worry about," she said softly.

Jackson was leaning forward in his seat, frowning. I knew that he was just dying to go with Dad, but he couldn't, what with his broken leg.

I was taking deep breaths, trying to remain calm, willing my father to come out and tell us that it was okay to enter, that it was all just a false alarm.

Suddenly, I heard my daddy scream.


	7. Chapter Six

I jumped with a start, and threw open the door. I ran out of the car, with Lilly right behind me.

"Miley!" cried Jackson. "Let me out!"

"No time," I panted, not even glancing back. Lilly and I charged into the house. We were not prepared for what we saw.

The living room was a disaster area. Furniture was tipped over. Papers spilled out of drawers that had been hastily yanked open. Books were strewn about everywhere. The place was a wreck.

Then, I saw my father, knelt down next to someone. I dashed over, and my stomach churned. My hand flew to my mouth. I couldn't believe what I saw.

The person was lying in a pool of his own blood, not moving, not breathing.

The person was none other then Oliver Oken, my best guy friend in the world.

I collapsed to the floor, not wanting to look at him this way, yet unable to take my eyes away.

Lilly was staring in shock, her hands fluttering in front of her face. Her eyes rolled back in her head and she fainted.

I stared in horror at the scene. I saw the bullet hole in his chest. I saw the blood around him. But it was like it wasn't real. It was like this was some sick, twisted movie, and that it was all going to be okay in the end. But it wasn't. Because this _was _real.

"D - daddy," I stuttered, my hands trembling. "H - he's going to b - be okay, r - right?" I knew the answer before I even asked, yet some feeble part of me still held the unrealistic hope that Oliver would be just fine.

My father leaned forward and gently laid his hand on my shoulder. "Honey, I'm afraid not. He's gone, Sweetie."

"No!" I bellowed, scrambling to my feet. I carefully avoided Lilly, whom my father and I were too out of it to think about.

"Miley, look," began my father. "See where the bullet is?"

My father's voice was trembling, and his eyes held unshed tears. I knew that he was just trying to be strong for me, but for some reason, this outraged me.

"I DON'T CARE!" I bellowed. "YOU'RE JUST A JERK! YOU DON'T CARE ABOUT OLIVER!"

With that, I ran to my room, crying my eyes out.

I lay down on my bed and sobbed. I felt bad about what I had said to my father. I knew that he cared, and that he was just trying to be a good Dad. But right now, I just couldn't think about anything else except, _why. Why _would someone hurt Oliver? _WHY?!?!_

Then, I found the note and I knew why.

It was carefully placed on the nightstand next to my bed. A simple square of white notebook paper, folded up and placed deliberately next to my alarm clock.

I unfolded it with trembling fingers.

_Dear Hannah Montana,_

_Well, well, well. I warned you, did I not? I said I wanted that money. And what did you do? FAIL TO SHOW UP! Well, I decided that if you weren't going to _willingly_ give me the money, then I would have to take matters into my own hands. So, I came here and searched the house. My intent wasn't to hurt anyone, really. But, of course, that stupid boy stumbled upon me, yelling something about how he was home early, and would you and Lilly like to hang out with him. Well, I couldn't very well let him _rat _on me, now could I? So I pulled a fast one over on him. I had my gun, of course. I always have my gun, and knife, with me. So, I shot him._

_I'm warning you, Miley Stewart, a.k.a Hannah Montana - If you don't want this to happen to everyone that you know and care about, then I suggest you meet me _next _Monday. Same place, same time. Next time, I'll do more than kill your little boyfriend._

I stared off, gasping for air as the reality hit me in the chest with an aching pain. It was _my _fault that this had happened to Oliver! All my fault.

Whimpering, I curled myself into a ball and allowed myself to cry, and cry, and cry some more. _What am I supposed to do? How can I live with myself after this? And how do I stop him from killing everyone else, too?_


	8. Chapter Seven

What could I do? I didn't have any way to get money, but I couldn't risk him hurting anyone else who I cared about. He had already killed Oliver! Killed ... the word sent a shudder through me. Poor Oliver. He had just wanted to hang out with Lilly and I, and what happened? He had been murdered! Had he felt any pain, or did he die instantly? Was he scared? Did he hate me?

These troubling thoughts caused me to sink to the floor, sobbing. I buried my head into my blanket and just cried. I couldn't believe that neither Lilly nor I would ever see our 'donut' again.

Lilly. Oliver had been her _boyfriend. _She was going to hate me! She was going to utterly, completely hate me! And she should. This was all my fault. In the newspaper the headline would read 'And Hannah Montana: convicted of killing her friend today'.

I sobbed louder at this thought. Hannah Montana was the cause of all this. If I hadn't been Hannah, then Oliver would probably still be alive, hanging out with Lilly and I right now, instead of lying on my living room floor.

Suddenly, there was a hand on my shoulder. It was my father.

"Miley, Baby?" he murmured gently. "Are you okay?"

"No, Dad. I'm not okay. And nothing will be ever again. Oliver's gone, Daddy! How can Lilly and I go on without him there?"

"Miley, Honey, Oliver would want you to be happy," my father said, drawing his knees up to his chest and looking at me.

"No, he wouldn't. Not if he knew that it was all my fault!"

"Miley, it's not your fault! How could it possibly be your fault?!"

Wordlessly, I thrust the note at him and he began to read. When he was done, he looked at me in shock. "Miley, is there something that you need to tell me?"

I poured out the whole story to him. I didn't know what else to do. What else _could _I do?

When I was done, I blubbered, "So, don't you see, Daddy? It's all my fault! It's my fault!"

"All I see," whispered my dad, "is a note from a sicko who has been tormenting my little girl, and killed one of her best friends. And now, he is going to pay."

My mouth dropped. "Daddy ... how?"

"This is what we're going to do ..." and with that, my father began describing his plan.

**A/N: Sorry for the really short chapter! I just wanted to end it on that note. Promise I'll try to make the next one longer. And I'm also sorry for the long time it took to update!! I'm not sure if anyone actually cares about reading more of this story, besides my sister. So if you **_**are **_**reading this, could you pretty please leave a little review? Please! Just so I get motivated lol. Well thanks :)**


	9. Chapter Eight

**A/N Sorry again, for the long update time! Thanks for the reviews! XD**

This was Daddy's plan: my father would call the police beforehand and tell them about the man. Daddy would go, and try to stall him until the police came. He would produce the 'money', which was actually a suitcase full of Monopoly money, and then hope that the man wouldn't check to see if it was actually money.

"Dad, there's just one problem with this plan," I said, when my father had finished describing it to me.

"What's that, Bud?" he asked.

"Well, he told me not to tell anyone. Obviously, if he sees you there, he'll know that I told you. I can't risk him hurting you, Daddy. It has to be me."

"No way, Miles!" protested my father. "You're not going anywhere near that creep, after what he did to Oliver!"

"Daddy, I have to," I said softly. "It's _my _job. He won't hurt me as long as he thinks he has the money."

"How do you know that, Miley? How do you know that he won't shoot you the minute he has the money in his hands?" my father demanded; he was getting upset.

"Well, I guess I don't know," I admitted. "But it's a risk I have to take. Daddy, if I tell _anyone, _he'll kill us all! You, me, Jackson, Lilly! And I told you, so you know what he'd do? He'd shoot you in a heartbeat, then come over here and kill Jackson and I, and then go to Lilly's."

My father's face was white with horror, and I knew that what I said had finally sunk in. "I don't like this," he murmured. "I don't like this at all, Miley."

"I know, Daddy," I whispered. "I know. But I have to do it ... if not for us, for ... Oliver." My throat began to constrict and my eyes stung as the realization that Oliver was actually gone hit me once again.

My father nodded wearily, rubbing his hand back through his hair. "I know ..."

We went downstairs, then, and I saw the police standing there. Someone had apparantly helped Jackson in, for he was sitting on the couch in shock, staring away in fright, into the corner of the room. Lilly was sitting next to him, her eyes red-rimmed. She was twisting her hands nervously.

"Lils ... " I whimpered, and ran for her.

"Miley," she uttered back, and we embraced each other. That was it for us both. A torrent of tears cascaded down my face as I hugged her.

I drew away and saw that she was twisting a silver ring around her ring finger.

"Who gave you that ring?" I questioned.

She looked at me with her pain-filled eyes. "Ol - ol - Ollie..." she managed to say before bursting into a batch of fresh tears. I felt my face heat up. _Nice one, Miley, _I thought. _Way to put your foot in your mouth that time!_

I took her hand and looked at the ring. Engraved on the side were the words, _Lilly Truscott + Oliver Oken 4ever. _

"Oh, Lilly," I whispered, hugging her to me once again.

Then I glanced over at Jackson; he was still off on some far-away planet.

"You guys?" I questioned, standing shakily. They both looked at me. "C - come with me. I h - have something to tell you guys."

Jackson managed to stand on his crutches, and with the help of Lilly and I, trudged upstairs. We went into my room. Jackson and I sat on the bed, Jackson stretching his leg out, and Lilly sat on my desk chair.

"What do you want to tell us, Miles?" asked Jackson. His voice sounded hoarse.

"This ... this is all ... " I took a deep breath. "Okay. Remember that guy who tried to kill me, and then caused the car accident?"

"Yes?" said Lilly.

"Well ... you see, a while ago, I recieved another phone call from him."

"Was that the night that you all came to see me?" Jackson asked, remembering that night. I nodded my head.

"So, he told me that I had to give him thirty thousand dollars in that same alley on Monday. But I thought it was just a joke! So I didn't listen to him, and then... this is what happened." I whispered the last part.

"So ... you mean, the guy who m - murdered Oliver, was the same man who wants your money?" cried Lilly. "Oh, my God!"

"I know, I know, it's my fault. You can hate me now," I moaned. I buried my head in my hands and let the tears stream through my hands and drip onto my pants.

"What are you _talking _about?" demanded Lilly. "I don't hate you!"

I sniffled. "You don't?"

"Of course not!"

"Miles, it's his fault, not yours," Jackson murmured, placing a comforting hand on my shoulder. He rubbed it gently. "That guy's, I mean. I hope he gets what he deserves!"

"Oh, he will!" I cried. "I'm going to meet him next Monday; he left me this note."

I let them both read the note and then continued. "So I'm going to fill up a suitcase or something with Monopoly money, and then meet him there. The police will be called in advance, told to come at a certain time. I'll just have to stall him until the police get there! Isn't that a good plan?"

Jackson and Lilly both gaped at me.

"You _must _be joking," stated Lilly.

"No _way _are you doing that!" burst out Jackson at the same time.

"I have to," I stated calmly. "If not for our own safety, but for Oliver."

Lilly stared at me. "Miley, I loved Oliver. But I love you, too, and I'm not ready to lose another best friend!"

"And I'm not letting that beast hurt my little sister!" cried Jackson.

"But don't you see?" I questioned. "He told me not to tell anyone! So no one can go in my place. It _has _to be me."

Jackson groaned. "Miley ..."

"What?" I asked.

"There's no way we can talk you out of this, is there?" Jackson wondered, but he sounded like he already knew the answer.

"No way in hell," I stated, shaking my head. "No way. I gotta do what I gotta do. And that's protect you guys."

Lilly's eyes filled with tears, and she leaned over and grabbed my hand. "But for God's sakes, Miley. Be careful!"

"I - I will." I tried to say the words firmly, but I was so scared that I was trembling.

Jackson looked like he was about to cry himself, but he turned away then, and murmured, "You'd better be."

Now all I had to do was wait until Monday.

**A/N: Hope you liked this chapter! Please leave a review :)**


	10. Chapter Nine

**A/N: SO SORRY for the long updating time! MY OLD COMPUTER CRASHED! So this is my new laptop. Luckily, I have all the stuff from my old laptop saved on this one now. But I'm still sad. But this computer is good! ANYWAY! Also, I've been completely bogged down by work at University (STRESSED is not the word) so yeah... plus I'm feeling ridiculously writer's-blockish. Joy, joy. But I'm hoping that this chapter will be good! Thanks for the reviews:)**

I woke up with a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach. It was Monday. _The _fateful Monday that I was going to go see the psychopath who had been torturing me and my friends and family.

I rolled over in my bed and wrapped the pillow around my ears to block out the morning sounds that I could hear drifting upwards from the kitchen. My father was bustling about, making coffee for himself from the smell of it. I knew that he was probably trying to forget about the frightening experience that would be happening later today.

I tried to go back to sleep, but my heart was racing too wildly. My hands were trembling as I got out of bed. I grabbed a towel and then took a quick shower. When I was finished dressing, I went downstairs, grabbing a hairbrush along the way.

"Good morning, Darlin'," my father said hoarsely when he saw me. He rushed over, kissed me tenderly on the forehead, and then sat me gently in a chair. "Would you like something to eat, Baby?" he questioned. "I've got bacon frying. Cereal? Toast? Pancakes?"

"Daddy!" I protested. waving him away as I tugged the brush through my wet hair. "Don't fuss over me!"

"I love you, Miley," he said. "I just want you to know that. You know, it's not too late to call the police. Honey, they can handle this better than you can. You know, they could just ambush him ... "

"Dad," I said patiently. "That's what the police are _going _to do! But I have to be there to meet him first, if only for a little bit! If he sees the police there, he won't be stupid enough to just march on over with them. And if he gets there _before _they show up, then he probably won't wait around for me. He'll go off and do something worse then he already did!"

It was hard to imagine that life could be worse than it had been the past few days, but I knew that realistically it could, if he killed anyone else. But still. The loss of Oliver had caused such a gaping hole in me. It fueled my anger and hatred towards this evil man.

Oliver's funeral had been yesterday, Sunday. There hadn't been a dry eye in the church as various people had given eulogies about him, and what a good person he had been. The most heart-rending for me had been Lilly's, as it was awful to see my best girl friend - wait, best friend period, now, I thought with a pang - break down into such a mess. To make matters worse, I had had to deliver my eulogy right after Lilly's, so my sobbing and sniffling as I read it aloud was just about as bad as hers had been.

I never knew that I would miss my donut _so very much._

I was brought back to the present with my father's words. "I know, Miles," he admitted softly. "But I still don't like it. Let's ... let's just try to forget about it for now though, alright?"

"Okay," I said. But there was no way either of us could forget; nor could Jackson, when he awoke and joined us in the kitchen.

Lilly came over at about one o'clock. Her face was streaked with mascara. I knew that she had been crying about Oliver again. I had been as well, off and on, that whole morning.

"Oh, Miley," Lilly moaned, collapsing in a heap in my arms. "I don't want him to kill you too, Miley. Please don't go. _Please. _For me?" She looked at me, and her eyes were so pleading that I wanted to make her happy, and tell her that I wouldn't go. But I couldn't, because I had to, and she, and everyone else, knew it too, though they didn't want to admit it.

I just shook my head, and we cried on each other's shoulders.

That whole day was very uncomfortable. All of us - Dad, Jackson, Lilly, and I - tried to laugh and make conversation, but we all had red-rimmed eyes throughout the entire day. We were alternating between missing Oliver, and worrying about the event that had yet to take place.

Lilly stayed at our house that night for 'supper', if you could call it that. Though my father had been so adamant on making food earlier, as seven o'clock drew closer, he became more and more nervous, and consequently, could not cook anything. So, the four of us ended up sitting around eating turkey sandwiches at 5:30.

By 6:00, everything was cleared away and we were ready and waiting. We sat in the living room, a sombre bunch - my father pacing back and forth and Lilly, Jackson, and I on the couch.

My father was practically wearing a hole in the floor from walking back and forther over the same spot.

Jackson was staring into space, biting his nails - something he only did when extremely nervous.

Lilly was staring at her hands, tears threatening to spill once again.

And my hands were trembling so fiercely that I had to sit on them to make them stop.

Finally, 6:30 arrived, and my father and I stood up to leave. My father was insistent upon the fact that he _would not _let me go by myself. He would stop walking with me not too far from the alley, and hide in an inconspicous place across from it, where he could see. From there he would call the police as soon as he saw the man approaching.

I was very worried. I didn't want my daddy to get hurt himself - what if he ran over and the guy ended up shooting him? I couldn't live without my dad; I just couldn't.

Lilly wrapped me in the tightest hug that I had ever recieved. "Be careful, Miley," she whispered in my ear in a quivering voice. With one final squeeze, she released me, and turned away, collapsing on to the couch and turning away.

Jackson stood shakily on his crutches and I walked over to him. Jackson's eyes were wet with tears too. It was so weird to see Jackson look at me without him making some kind of teasing remark!

He grabbed me and held me to him. He kissed me on the top of the head and said softly, "Miles, I love you. Stay safe, little sister."

As we were walking out the door, I blew them both a kiss and waved a little. "I'll be fine!" I tried to sound happy, but I was trying to convince myself so much as them.

When my father and I reached the alley, which wasn't all that far from my house, he looked into my eyes and said, "You be careful now, Miley. I'm watching, and if he so much as lays a hand on you, I'm over there, and you know it!"

I opened my mouth to protest, but knew that it would do no good. Instead, I simply nodded and went into the alleyway, while my father went to the park on the other side of the road. He bent down behind some bushes. I was relieved that I couldn't see him at all from my point of view - I just hoped that the man wouldn't, either.

I stood in the dark alleyway for what seemed like an eternity, until I glanced at my wristwatch and realized that only three minutes had gone by. It was now 7:01.

Suddenly, I saw him, looming in the entrance, cutting off the twilight and blinking into the darkness of the alleyway.

"Hannah Montana?" he growled.

I nodded, and handed him the suitcase. He lifted it and began muttering to himself. "Hmm, feels like it's full of money," he stated. "But I ought to make sure that it is."

I felt my heart drop. _Please, don't check, please, please! _I prayed in my head.

He bent down, still blocking the entrance, and opened the suitcase. He grabbed a fistful of the Monopoly money and held it up to the dimming twilight. Then he glared at me.

"THIS ISN'T MONEY!" he bellowed. He began advancing towards me, and I cowered in fear. He pulled out a revolver and leveled it right at my chest.

I slid to the ground and cowered in a ball, waiting for the impact, and the inevitable end to come.

**A/N: Sorry for the cliffy ending! I hope this chapter didn't suck too bad, if you think it did pleaseee let me know! I want to write good chapters for you guys. So review! I will **_**TRY **_**my darnedst that the next chapter doesn't take so long to be written! Hopefully in a couple days I'll have it done. So review! XD**

**PS: Oh yeah! I hope this whole idea isn't too ridiculous - I suppose it **_**could**_** happen, though as one anonymous reviewer pointed out, it would have been so much easier for him to just kidnap Miley. I guess our villain is kinda dumb, and didn't think of that lol. Oh well. Anywho.. review pour moi [-:**


	11. Chapter Ten

I heard a gunshot, and a scream. _Why doesn't it hurt? _I wondered. _Is this what it feels like to be dead?_

I cautiously opened my eyes to see two men laying on the ground, struggling to sit up. One was my father, and one was the evil man. But which one had been shot?

Then the evil dude dragged himself up, and clutched his right knee. I could see dark blood coursing from it, and he cursed, glaring at both my father and I in turn.

My farther stood and quickly grabbed the gun, pointing it at the man's chest, like the man had pointed it at mine just a couple minutes ago. He stood firmly in front of me and said, "If you so much as look at my daughter once more, I'll kill you."

"Daddy," I whimpered, standing. I held onto him tightly. "What did you do?"

"Well, Miles, I saw him aiming that gun at you, and I couldn't just sit there and let him shoot my baby girl, now could I? So I ran over here and knocked the gun out of his hand just as he shot. The bullet hit the side of the building instead of you, and ricocheted off, hitting him in the leg. And thank God for that." My father looked at me and hugged me tightly to him, and it was only then that I saw the paleness of his face and look of stark _fear _in his eyes.

I glared down at the man in front of me. He was glaring back just as harshly at us.

"How did you find out about my secret, anyway?" I demanded, as he tried to stand but moaned when the pain hit his leg.

He sat back down and sneered up at me. "It was quite easy, actually. All I did was follow you back from one of your Hannah concerts one night. Once I found out where you lived, it was a piece of cake. All I did was ask some people who lived around here who lived there."

"Who did you ask?" I questioned. I didn't really care; I just wanted to keep him talking until the police arrived.

"I remember that I asked your little boyfriend," taunted the man. "Remember, the one I killed? He was _so stupid. _I was trying to figure out some reason that I could feed to him about why I was asking, when he just _offered _the information without out any prodding! What an idiot!"

Rage flared inside me and caused me to see red. "You take that back, you piece of garbage!" I screamed, and would have rushed at him, if my father hadn't grabbed me by the arm and held me back.

The evil man laughed.

Then I noticed three police officers standing behind him, two men and one woman. The woman noticed me looking and put a finger to her lips, as if to signify that I should remain quiet and not let him know about them.

"W - why did you kill Oliver?" I demanded.

"Why? _WHY? _Because he was in my way, of course. All I wanted was your money, Hannah Montana."

"You are under arrest for the murder of Oliver Oken, and the attempted murder of Miley Stewart!" yelled one of the policemen, all of a sudden.

The man jumped about three feet in the air, and glanced back to see the three police officers, each with a gun, aimed at him. He groaned when he realized that he had been caught.

I just looked at my father and collapsed into his arms, sobbing, so relieved that this whole ordeal was over.

----------------------------------------------------------

It wasn't completely over, of course. We had to go to court and testify against him. The case was basically cut and dry, though, as three police officers had heard him confessing to the murder of Oliver.

We found out that Jimmy Johnson, the evil man, was fairly stupid, compared to other criminals. The most obvious way to get money would have been to hold me captive; Jimmy, for some odd reason, had not even considered this option, however.

Lilly and Jackson had been elated that I was fine. I found myself drawn closer to them both, as well as my father. I knew that I couldn't take any other people whom I loved for granted.

I still miss Oliver terribly; we all do. But I know that at least the terrible man who commited such a heinous crime is behind bars, and I think that that would have made Oliver happy.

Finally, I realized that Oliver's death wasn't my fault. It was Jimmy's. I think that my best guy friend is resting in peace now that his murderer is in jail, and I can finally live with myself, and move on.

It's going to be hard, but with Daddy, Lilly, and Jackson supporting me, and vice versa, I think we'll all be alright.

**THE END!**

**A/N: Hmm... I hope this chapter wasn't toooooo bad. Thanks to:**

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